These are from the SMU Rivals site...
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1. SMU (19-5, 10-2). The Mustangs suffered a close loss at home against Cincinnati. The game would've been a nice résumé-builder for SMU, had the team been able to win. But Larry Brown's squad was able to hand Tulsa its first conference loss of the season. The game remained close in the first half, but SMU dominated the second half on the road against a very confident team. It hurts the Mustangs that Cincy swept them, but SMU is still in prime position to win the AAC.
2. Cincinnati (17-6, 8-3). The Bearcats beat SMU in Moody Coliseum, and Jermaine Sanders, Troy Caupain and Farad Cobb all had strong performances. Some will question though, if Nic Moore did not have an off game then would the outcome have been different? These two teams are so close right now; it's almost a matter of who will slip up first. Cincy plays a tough matchup at Temple this week.
3. Tulsa (17-6, 10-1). The criticism of Tulsa so far during AAC play was that the Golden Hurricane had not played any of the top teams. After losing handily to SMU at home, that criticism is validated. The team has some time to recuperate from their first conference loss and prepare for Cincy and SMU at the end of the season.
4. Temple (17-7, 8-3). Quietly the Owls are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. Their last game against Memphis required a game-winning bank-shot, but the win streak is still a statement that Temple is hanging around in contention for the conference. A win against Cincy this week would actually put the Owls ahead of the Bearcats in the conference standings.
5. Memphis (14-9, 6-4). A win over Temple would've been big for Memphis, but the Tigers couldn't defend well enough on the final play. Still, the team is winning games it should be. Memphis blew out Jacksonville State, but it faces an East Carolina team that is heating up. The Tigers will need to beat better teams in order to escape the middle of the conference.
6. Connecticut (13-9, 6-4). Kevin Ollie's squad defeated East Carolina by 13 and Tulane by nine this past week. Ryan Boatright scored 23 points and 17 points in the two games, respectively. While still a disappointing season for the reigning national champions, the Huskies have a chance for some redemption up next against Tulsa and then SMU.
7. Tulane (13-10, 4-7). The Green Wave has lost five games in a row, all five against teams with conference records above .500. Unfortunately it won't get easier for Tulane. The team plays at Cincy on Valentine's Day.
8. East Carolina (10-13, 3-7). This team seemed trapped at the bottom of the conference for a significant portion of the season, but the Pirates have somewhat turned things around. They've won two of their last three games, and they blew out UCF this past week. East Carolina has a tough stretch coming up against Memphis, Temple and Tulsa, but maybe this momentum could help the Pirates pull off an upset.
9. USF (7-17, 1-10). Nine losses in a row have left USF in complete desperation. But to the Bulls' credit, they hung around in a number of those games, including a five-point loss to Cincy last Saturday. With UCF up next, the Bulls have a golden opportunity to end their massive drought.
10. Houston (9-13, 1-9). After winning two in a row, Houston couldn't keep the momentum going against Tulsa. The Cougars face SMU next, but then they will battle to stay out of last place in the AAC against UCF and then USF. Those games will be the best chance for Houston to add some conference wins.
11. UCF (9-13, 2-9). Big losing streaks seem to be a trend in the bottom half of the AAC, and UCF has lost six in a row to date. Sure, many of those came to better teams in the conference like SMU and Cincy, but a blow out loss to East Carolina is unacceptable. UCF may have more conferences wins than USF or Houston, but the Knights needed overtime to get those two wins.
TheHillTopics.com
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1. SMU (19-5, 10-2). The Mustangs suffered a close loss at home against Cincinnati. The game would've been a nice résumé-builder for SMU, had the team been able to win. But Larry Brown's squad was able to hand Tulsa its first conference loss of the season. The game remained close in the first half, but SMU dominated the second half on the road against a very confident team. It hurts the Mustangs that Cincy swept them, but SMU is still in prime position to win the AAC.
2. Cincinnati (17-6, 8-3). The Bearcats beat SMU in Moody Coliseum, and Jermaine Sanders, Troy Caupain and Farad Cobb all had strong performances. Some will question though, if Nic Moore did not have an off game then would the outcome have been different? These two teams are so close right now; it's almost a matter of who will slip up first. Cincy plays a tough matchup at Temple this week.
3. Tulsa (17-6, 10-1). The criticism of Tulsa so far during AAC play was that the Golden Hurricane had not played any of the top teams. After losing handily to SMU at home, that criticism is validated. The team has some time to recuperate from their first conference loss and prepare for Cincy and SMU at the end of the season.
4. Temple (17-7, 8-3). Quietly the Owls are in the midst of a five-game winning streak. Their last game against Memphis required a game-winning bank-shot, but the win streak is still a statement that Temple is hanging around in contention for the conference. A win against Cincy this week would actually put the Owls ahead of the Bearcats in the conference standings.
5. Memphis (14-9, 6-4). A win over Temple would've been big for Memphis, but the Tigers couldn't defend well enough on the final play. Still, the team is winning games it should be. Memphis blew out Jacksonville State, but it faces an East Carolina team that is heating up. The Tigers will need to beat better teams in order to escape the middle of the conference.
6. Connecticut (13-9, 6-4). Kevin Ollie's squad defeated East Carolina by 13 and Tulane by nine this past week. Ryan Boatright scored 23 points and 17 points in the two games, respectively. While still a disappointing season for the reigning national champions, the Huskies have a chance for some redemption up next against Tulsa and then SMU.
7. Tulane (13-10, 4-7). The Green Wave has lost five games in a row, all five against teams with conference records above .500. Unfortunately it won't get easier for Tulane. The team plays at Cincy on Valentine's Day.
8. East Carolina (10-13, 3-7). This team seemed trapped at the bottom of the conference for a significant portion of the season, but the Pirates have somewhat turned things around. They've won two of their last three games, and they blew out UCF this past week. East Carolina has a tough stretch coming up against Memphis, Temple and Tulsa, but maybe this momentum could help the Pirates pull off an upset.
9. USF (7-17, 1-10). Nine losses in a row have left USF in complete desperation. But to the Bulls' credit, they hung around in a number of those games, including a five-point loss to Cincy last Saturday. With UCF up next, the Bulls have a golden opportunity to end their massive drought.
10. Houston (9-13, 1-9). After winning two in a row, Houston couldn't keep the momentum going against Tulsa. The Cougars face SMU next, but then they will battle to stay out of last place in the AAC against UCF and then USF. Those games will be the best chance for Houston to add some conference wins.
11. UCF (9-13, 2-9). Big losing streaks seem to be a trend in the bottom half of the AAC, and UCF has lost six in a row to date. Sure, many of those came to better teams in the conference like SMU and Cincy, but a blow out loss to East Carolina is unacceptable. UCF may have more conferences wins than USF or Houston, but the Knights needed overtime to get those two wins.
TheHillTopics.com
